39,958 New COVID-19 Cases Nationwide by 6 PM... Half of Yesterday's Level

Under 50,000 in the Same Sunday Time Slot for the First Time in 9 Weeks

On the 17th, citizens are seen getting tested at the temporary COVID-19 screening clinic at Seoul Station. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] As the domestic Omicron variant wave continues to decline, nearly 40,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide as of 6 p.m. on the 17th.

According to Seoul Metropolitan Government and other local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on this day, 39,958 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is 38,089 fewer than the 78,047 cases recorded during the same time frame the previous day. The decrease in new cases to about half of the previous day’s count is attributed to the combined effect of the declining wave and reduced testing over the weekend.

This is the first time in nine weeks since February 13 (47,742 cases) that the number of confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. on a Sunday has fallen below 50,000. The count as of 6 p.m. on this day is 36,010 fewer than the 75,968 cases recorded at the same time one week ago on the 10th, and 70,248 fewer than the 110,206 cases recorded two weeks ago on the 3rd. Since there is still time until midnight when the count is finalized, the number of new cases to be announced on the 18th is expected to be higher than this.

As of 6 p.m. on this day, new cases were 21,606 (54.1%) in the Seoul metropolitan area and 18,352 (45.9%) in non-metropolitan areas. By region, the numbers are: Gyeonggi 12,408, Seoul 7,046, Daegu 2,771, Incheon 2,152, Jeonbuk 2,071, Jeonnam 1,956, Gwangju 1,860, Gyeongnam 1,758, Gangwon 1,736, Gyeongbuk 1,332, Daejeon 1,269, Ulsan 932, Busan 924, Chungbuk 702, Jeju 647, Chungnam 269, and Sejong 125.

From the 11th for one week, the daily new confirmed cases were 90,917 → 210,732 → 195,397 → 148,431 → 125,846 → 107,916 → 93,001, averaging about 138,891 cases per day.

The government has decided to fully lift social distancing measures starting from the 18th, judging that the COVID-19 wave is maintaining its decline and the healthcare system is stable.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.